All about bicycling and livability in San Francisco's North Panhandle neighborhood.

Friday, September 4, 2009

Sunday Streets to be Permanent

Look for more Sunday Streets next year in new locations with a guarantee that the wildly popular "street openings" will become permanent.

After the first Sunday Streets last year, an open question was whether the experiment would be continued in 2009. A resounding YES: in fact, six this year. The first five have exceeded expectations, and this Sunday's last installment will likely be the same. Now the city is so pleased with the outcome that Sunday Streets will be made a fixture of summers in the city.

This Sunday take the "Penguins to Penguins" route -- from the Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate park, along the Great Highway, to the San Francisco Zoo -- for a great morning and afternoon. This is a special weekend for San Franciscans who aren't Burning on the Playa or traveling out of town; there's so much more of the city for us! Just being on a car-free Great Highway is a treat in itself. But also check out the Urban Cycling Workshops and Freedom from Training Wheels sponosred by SF Bicycle Coalition and the Presidio YMCA Bike Program; demonstrations of the latest in electric bikes, dance workshops, roller blading, strolling on the highway, 150 free bike rentals and free bike repair.

And Bands -- lots of Bands. Thanks to the support of Warren Helman, Sunday Streeters will find Brothers Comatose, the Barbary Ghosts, and Allofasudden mixing it up the sound of the surf at three locations: Sloat Blvd., Lincoln Way, and Taraval St. Read more about the ocean vibes in today's Examiner.

To get a taste of what's coming, take a look at August's "perfect weather/great times" Sunday Street. .... 10 am to 2 pm. Sunday. Last chance in 2009.

UPDATE: Check for more extensive coverage on the permanence of Sunday Streets posted by Streetsblog.